The competition for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s job will give a fascinating insight into what SNP members think about the key issues tearing their party apart. Two very different candidates – rebel former minister Ash Regan and Health Secretary Humza Yousaf – have today launched their bids in the Sunday Mail.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes looks almost certain to join the contest. But sources have suggested Angus Robertson, Keith Brown and Màiri McAllan may not run after claims that powerbrokers John Swinney and the outgoing leader indicated privately they would back Yousaf.
The winner will be decided by SNP members – an unknown number whose views on everything other than independence remain something of a mystery. The NHS is on its knees, education standards are plunging, thousands of public sector workers are striking and major infrastructure projects, including roads and ferries, are years behind schedule.
